The Awaking Of Amazon
by Super Shadowhenshin
Summary: Leo Corbett has decided to join Mirinoi's newest Rangers to investigate some disappearances. Together the Youngbloods and Leo must defeat an ancient threat and discover the secrets the strange jungle planet had been hiding for three thousand years.
1. Youngbloods

_Four years ago the space colony known as Terra Venture landed on the planet Mirinoi. With nowhere left to turn the humans of Earth were forced to make peace with the strange Inhabitants. In the goodhearted name of tranquility, the humans of both worlds began construction of a new Eden. This place would be dubbed Eternity City._

The jungle air was thick and wet. It was the type of humidity that filled one's lungs like water and left you gasping for every breath. Leo Corbett didn't seem terribly bothered by it, he'd spent that last four years sucking it in.

The brown haired man made his way through the dense jungle. He swung his blade around, nonchalantly making a path for him and his three partners to move three teens didn't seem too impressive at first glance, but Leo had been informed of their true purpose.

One of the three, a boy wrapped in a tight red t-shirt didn't seem to have any problem treading across the tall jungle grass. His dark hair was tangled into greasy dreadlocks and his military issue pants were cut into sloppy shorts. His name was Rune and he was a native to this planet. More than that, though, he carried a special gift, one that Leo was given orders to keep a secret at all costs.

The girl behind him had her hair tied into a tight ponytail. Her green eyes were bright and fierce, as she cautiously avoided every stray weed. She was Megan, and occurring to her records she was one of the highest scoring students in the academy, in terms of I.Q at least.

At the very back of the group was Benjamin. His ginger hair was overly combed, which only highlighted its tendency to wave. His square face seemed to constantly convey confusion as if the entirety of the universe was a mystery to him. His test scores weren't to die for, and he wasn't regarded as the brightest. What got him on the teams was his natural athletic abilities and strong will.

The four stood right outside of a small human colony. It was nothing special, wood huts, and metal trailers. It was a temporary dwelling until more of Eternity City was constructed. A quiet sort of chaos had begun to swell around the village, though, as more and more civilians went missing.

"This is haunted ground," Rune mumbled.

"That's what local lore claims," Megan replied. "That's why the Earth-Borns built here, they figured it wouldn't interfere with local life."

Rune remained silent. He wasn't particularly keen to speak his mind. He seemed to be a very reserved individual. Leo contributed it to his former role within his village.

"So this is basically some kind of poltergeist thing?" Benjamin asked, "Because that would be so cool! Ghost aliens, man!" The boy was treading violently over the soft ground, completely oblivious to where his feet went.

Megan grabbed him."Stop!"

Benjamin blushed, "Sorry, I got carried away."

"It's not that." She said, her eyes darted to the ground, everyone else's followed.

A bit of white slime had collected on the jungle ground. It laid there eerily, like a cheap special effect.

"Dude…" Benjamin whispered, "Ectoplasm."

Megan touched it lightly with her finger. "It seems like some form of webbing…" The slime slowly gave away, breaking apart into small fibers.

"What do you think of this?" Leo asked Rune.

Rune shrugged. "Nothing I've ever seen can do this."

"Any suggestions? Possibilities?" Benjamin asked.

Rune shrugged again.

The four continued to move through the jungle. Leo felt on edge, the hairs on his neck were standing straight. He hadn't felt like this in years like there was electricity in his veins. His brother, Mike, had known what he was doing when he sent Leo on this mission.

Leo caught sight of something alarming, he ordered the three teens to stay back as he got a closer look. He could feel his heart beating in his chest, the rhythm echoed to his ears as his eyes darted across the pile of blobby webbing.

Leathery skin seemed to stick to the corpse's body. Dry sunken eyes gazed at Leo through the thick web. He tried to look away but found he could only gaze deeper into the cadaver as if the answers to the universe were hidden in the clouded iris. Leo guessed that the corpse was male, he was clad in the familiar Terra Venture uniform. Leo couldn't help but wonder how long that body been there.

"Wow!" Benjamin exclaimed, "That's some freaky stuff right there."

Megan's eyes grew terribly wide. Leo watched as her twitching fingers found her pistol. She stroked the gunmetal, finding some comfort in its sleek surface.

Rune seemed transfixed by the spectacle. Not really afraid, just casually observing. "His aura is faint, despite his appearance this man hasn't been dead longer than a few days…" Rune tore away some stray webbing from the man's body. The sticky substance fell to the ground as Rune dug into the man's pocket. He drew a wallet and opened it up.

Rune handed a photo to Leo, "This is the man's family, you should report to them after this. Tell them he loved them. They were the last things he thought about. He didn't want to imagine the world where his little girl had to grow up without a dad."

"How does he know that?" Megan asked.

Leo kept moving, he didn't bother responding. Rune followed close behind, and Benjamin continued with them. Megan took one long last look at the poor man, then dove deeper into the jungle.

Leo found himself feeling for his rifle. It was strapped around his shoulder, therefore, it wouldn't move, yet he needed to be sure. It was there, but it didn't make him any safer. There was a monster in this jungle. He didn't know where it was, but he knew what it could do. That was scary enough.

Leo pressed his hand against Rune's shoulder. "If that thing gets near us could you sense it?"

Rune looked nervous, "Maybe, I'm not sure. I've never encountered something like this."

Leo nodded, he didn't like that answer, but it was what he expected.

Megan and Benjamin gained some distance behind Leo and Rune. Leo listened in as the two teens talked in a soft tone.

"I don't know what, but something's wrong with Rune." Megan sounded paranoid and scared.

"Yeah, he's freaking me out too." Benjamin agreed.

Leo knew this would happen if he kept things a secret. This team had just formed and it was already developing trust issues. That wasn't a good sign, especially if they wanted to get out of this alive.

The four suddenly walked into a clearing. There they were met with the smell of smoke and cooking meat. There was a small fire built in the middle of the clearing, smoke drifted from the black and gray ash. Leo went to investigate the camp. Small fleshy insects were roasting over the cinders.

"Do you think someone got separated from the village? Maybe one of the missing people did this." Megan suggested.

"Maybe." Leo agreed. He turned to Rune, the native boy had a strange expression on his face. "What's on your mind Rune?"

"I detect a strong power here…" Rune said. He closed his eyes tightly as if to concentrate on his feeling. " _Something_ was here."

"If this is a horror movie I'm dying first." Benjamin said, "The monster always gets the sports star first!"

Megan ignored Benjamin's comment. She pointed her finger down, "Look at these tracks." She was pointing at a set of indentations in the soft ground. "Their barefoot, and human." She began to follow them.

They were getting even deeper into the jungle. The sun was almost nonexistent, it just barely sent red rays across the ground. It like walking through the darkest cavern, with only a candle to illuminate the stone halls.

There was a soft movement. It was barely even noticeable, just a soft pad over grass. Leo grabbed his rifle. It could be some rodent or something mundane. Could be. Something screamed at him, though, something that proclaimed whatever dwelled in the shadows was far from natural reality.

A string of oozing web shot from the dark and hit the ground. Leo aimed his rifle and fired. The air around him was illuminated with orange light but didn't allow him any insight.

The three teenagers were ready. When the bulking creature stepped towards the teens it was Benjamin that struck first. He did a jump kick that momentarily knocked the creature onto its back.

The monster was horrifying, with a large insectile body with strands of white fluff. The thing carried itself on humanoid legs, although it possessed spider-like appendages the hugged its midsection. The spider held out its human-like arms and fired the web from its spider maw.

The three teenagers were more than ready for this kind of threat. They all stood together, revealing that each of them had identical sets of twin bracelets. The bracelet that rested on their right hand read Cyber Beast while the other had individual animal symbols.

"Cyber Beast, Power Unleashed!" Megan yelled, her device had a Dolphin symbol.

"Cyber Beast, Power Unleashed!" Rune yelled, his device had an Eagle symbol.

"Cyber Beast, Power Unleashed!" Benjamin yelled, his device had a Lion symbol.

The three teens were covered in individually colored armor. Leo didn't have to be told who these heroes were, he knew they were the Power Rangers.

"Cyber Beast, Red Falcon!" Rune yelled. His armor had white pants with red on the torso, boots and helmet. His helmet was designed to look similar to a falcon, which highlighted the falcon symbol on his chest.

"Cyber Beast, Blue Dolphin!" Megan's armor was blue instead of red, with a helmet resembling a Dolphin and a matching symbol.

"Cyber Beast, Yellow Lion!" Benjamin's armor was Yellow with a Lion helmet.

"Animal Squadron, Cyber Beast!" The three heroes yelled in unison.

The Blue Ranger armed her Dolphin bow and fired into the spider creature, sparks flew from its body as it howled in pain. The Spider fired back, shooting a blob of white gunk that stuck her feet to the earth.

Red Falcon armed his Falcon Saber. He swung into the creature, sending it back a few steps and giving Blue some time to recover. Yellow Lion aimed his Lion Bazooka at the creature. He charged up his blaster and fired a yellow blast into the Spider, knocking it down while expelling sparks from his body.

Green ooze leaked from the Spider's body. The creature picked itself and scurried deeper into the jungle. Yellow Lion tried to chase after it, but Red Falcon grabbed his arm.

"What are you doing?" Yellow Lion asked, "I almost got it!"

"It's trying to escape, let it go." Red Falcon spoke with a calm demanding voice.

"We just let a killer spider back into the wild!" The Lion Ranger exclaimed, "It's gonna come back and kill us! Haven't you seen the movies, if you don't kill the monster it comes back!"

Red Falcon was silent. He carefully watched the spot the Spider had left to. "Let's go after it. Not to kill it. We need to see where it was going."

Leo nodded. He was impressed by their fighting prowess, he wished these kids had been around during Terra Venture's disastrous space adventure. He grinned, knowing where Rune was going with this. "You think there might be a nest?"

Red Falcon shrugged, "We better find out." In a flash of light, the three Rangers demorphed back into their civilian forms. Rune led the group, carefully tracking the strange footprints deeper into the jungle.

Megan watched Rune as he threaded through the dense grass. His gray eyes seemed weirdly disjointed from reality, she wondered if he was seeing something she couldn't.

"So what's your story?" She asked the native human.

He didn't turn to look at her, or even seem to recognize her existence.

"I saw you around the Academy. You were one of the few people to have a personal room, and you never really seemed interested in anyone."

Rune continued to track the prints, they seemed to be the only thing that mattered in his strange world.

"Give it up." Benjamin said, "He think's he's too good for us or something."

Rune stopped abruptly. He kneeled down and examined a blob of white webbing. A severed human hand floated meaninglessly in the mess. Stray tendons seem to flow like confetti from the red meaty end. The whole scene reminded Leo of those little jello fruit cups they used to serve aboard Terra Venture.

"Dude," Benjamin said, "This is too cool…"

Megan turned to Benjamin, "This isn't a game!"

"Woah man, relax," Benjamin said.

"People are dying!"

"Well, I'm not going to sit around and piss my pants! I'm scared, and so are you, I'm just handling things a little different."

Hearing the normally calm Benjamin raise his voice seemed to calm Megan down. She grew quiet and peacefully followed the group through the mess of vines and trees.

Leo was thinking about the camp again. The excitement of the Spider attack had distracted him from their original finding. They weren't alone in the jungle. There was, at least, one killer spider, but on top of that, there was another human. Maybe it was a survivor, maybe it wasn't.

As sunlight became even more of commodity the jungle began to subtly change. Webbing hung from certain trees, it coated the ancient wood like a fine glaze. They didn't see any Spiders in the immediate area, but Leo was beginning to smell them. It was a horrid smell, like week old rot. Leo found himself fingering his gun once more.

A Spider jumped from the dense trees. This one seemed slightly larger, it's insectoid legs spasmed around wildly. The three Rangers fired their blasters at the creature, Leo contributed with his one rifle.

Bullets cut through the monster like butter. Sending a spray of green ooze that splattered against the ground. The Spider monster staggered towards the four heroes, but soon he was accompanied by another.

Three of the horrifying monsters moved with a striking sense of unity. Leo swore under his breath. Rune's suspicion had been correct about them. They were stumbling into a nest.

"Cyber Beast, Power Unleashed!"

Arrows flew from the Dolphin Bow, and blasts of Yellow Energy burst from the Lion Bazooka, but the creatures kept moving. Red Falcon rushed with his saber. One hand swung his blade, the other fired his small blaster. Sparks ignited like the Fourth of July, but the creature continued to fight.

Just as it seemed like their combined power was making a difference. Two more monsters sprang from the sides. Leo's rifle didn't stop until it was out of ammunition. He turned to his pack to get another cartridge, only to find more Spiders flooding from all around them.

It was too late. The Spiders surrounded them. Panic welled inside of his chest. After everything he'd been through, it would be a mob of killer spiders that took him out. Leo closed his eyes. In a last ditch effort, he called upon his Galactabeast. A mythical creature that had helped him in the past. If there was anything that could save them Leo prayed they could help.

"A -MA-ZON!" A wild voice called out.

The Rangers turned to the source of the voice, only to see a Spider limb flying through the air. The Spider body collapsed as a new creature leaped into the circle.

The thing looked like something from an 80's science fiction show. His skin was green and scaly, with waves of orange covering his body. His head was large and reptilian, with pulsing red eyes that peered through the darkness. The humanoid lizard held its body low to the ground, and a red fin hung from his back, and a yellow anti twitched from the middle of his forehead.

One of the Spiders charged at the new figure, but he leaped with amazing speed and landed on it's back. He dug his giant maw into Spider's head, ripping out a large chunk of the creature's exoskeleton. Large pointed claws tore through the creature's leather gloves, they were dripping green blood as the tore through the Spiders.

Leo was completely blown away. He didn't even know how he was going to describe this creature later. Assuming it didn't kill him and his Rangers once the Spiders were gone.

Once the shock wore off the Rangers they began to aid the strange creature. Only a handful of Spiders were left, they began to charge at the five of them with the last of their strength. The Rangers combined all three of their weapons into a cannon and fired into the Spiders, transforming the beasts into dust.

The reptile looked to the Rangers. He nodded his head as his skin began to bubble faintly. "Save...for now." His body fell the ground as it began to radiate an unreal level of heat. Steam poured from all around him, forcing the Rangers to shield their eyes as he was enveloped in the smoky texture.

The Rangers gazed at their friend with newfound shock. He was no longer a strange reptilian monster, he was now a human with messy black hair and a torn leather outfit.

 **A/N: Well that concludes part one of my little story here. As you can probably guess the strange man is based on Kamen Rider Amazon, which is currently being revived as an Amazon Prime exclusive series. This Amazon harkens back to the original Amazon though the new incarnation may make an appearance later in another series. I bring this up because the Masked Rider TV series already introduced Amazon during its short run, only it referred to him as "Rider Man" for some reason. I understand that Masked Rider's continuity lines up with Power Rangers, but I'm going to pretend that everything after the backdoor pilot took place in some strange parallel universe where Amazon is Riderman. Instead, this is a much more coherent universe where Amazon is Amazon and Ferbus is a secret agent for the United States, trying to stop bioterrorism and writing a fairly successful conspiracy blog.**


	2. God's Graveyard

The Rangers logged the bug bodies away from the clearing as Leo started a little fire. The strange man was still unconscious, his body stirred every so often, only long enough to remind everyone he was alive.

The Rangers sat around the fire. They each held a look of worry on their faces. Dark circled hung under Benjamin's eyes. He turned to Rune, "What do you think he is?"

Rune shrugged, the Red Ranger kept his eyes locked on the strange creature. It seemed like he suspected the man would awake and shift back into the strange creature, whatever that was.

"It's impossible," Megan said in a low voice. "It changed from a beast to a man, that isn't something that can happen."

"It clearly did," Benjamin said. Leo was taken back, he had expected the Lion Ranger to formulate a lame job. He seemed too tired for that, he was a defeated mess.

"Before the Earthlings landed I would think it was impossible to summon armor from a device on my wrist," Rune said softly. "We don't understand everything."

Leo looked at Rune, the strange messy boy with gray eyes. He tried to imagine what life was like before Terra Venture landed. Despite being on Mirinoi for a good four years he hadn't really communicated with locals. He knew Maya, a warrior that had aided him aboard Terra Venture, but that was basically it. This boy wasn't even from the same part of the planet, the village they received him from was vastly different from the one Maya grew up in.

It was a bit more advanced, adobe houses, and towering temples. It was easy to compare them to civilizations such as the Incas, but that wasn't enough justice. They may have only possessed limited technology but that had one advantaged that made them a potential threat to the rest of world.

Megan suddenly jumped back, she looked like she was about to squeal. The strange man opened his eyes. He grunted and lifted himself up. It was then that the Rangers and Leo caught sight of the giant bloody gash on his chest. It oozed dark blood onto the jungle ground. The man's pale eyes gazed at the rest of them with hazy clarity.

Rune approached the man. He didn't seem scared of Rune, but he definitely seemed insecure. Rune closed his eyes and placed his hand on the man's shoulder. It stayed there for a few moments, as Rune grew more and more focused.

Suddenly the man hollered out. He jumped back abruptly and crawled away. Rune sighed as if this was a normal occurrence. The jungle man looked at Rune with very wide eyes,their pale surface gleamed with fear.

"Relax…" Rune mumbled softly. He pressed his hand against the man's shoulder once more. The four Earthlings were transfixed on the way the jungle man's fist clenched.

Slowly, the wound began to seal itself. Stray skin traveled like spider webs, connecting each other like organic stitching. In a mere five minutes, the wound was gone, leaving a faint trail of pink flesh.

The jungle man looked at Rune with admiration. "Shaman...Thank you."

Rune nodded. He ran his fingers across the man's chest as if examining his handy work. Then he stood up and stretched himself.

"Wait… What the hell was that?" Benjamin asked.

Leo sighed. He knew this was going to happen, he just wished it could have been a more convenient time. He took in a breath and collected his thoughts. "There are a lot of things the Government we have is trying to cover up."

"We've had a Government for four years and they're already forming a Neo-Illuminati!" Benjamin exclaimed.

"Anyway…" Leo continued. "We like to pretend that the locals of this planet are primitive and unable to hold their own. He does this because we're afraid of a rebellion coming in and wiping us out. People don't enjoy living with that kind of fear, but things aren't that simple."

Leo turned his gaze to Rune, the Rangers followed. "Some of the people on this planet possess strange abilities. Some of them are a simple as the ability to communicate with animals while others are far more complex. We don't know the origin of their powers, but we knew they're derived from something we've dubbed, The Grid. It's the same power you channel through your Morphers."

"So you're saying that's what Rune can do?" Megan asked she examined Rune with watchful, cold eyes.

"He's a Jungle Jedi…" Benjamin whispered.

"Yes." Leo tried to push his words into the most stable format. "We bought him from a slave trade. In his village, they call his kind Shaman. They aren't regarded highly and are surprisingly disposable. They use them for combat, mostly to heal wounded warriors in the heat of battle."

"So the Mirinoi Defence Force wanted a "Shaman" among their ranks as well?" Megan asked.

"Well yeah, they also wanted to see how well he could adapt to the Morpher. They played it off as a way to integrate them into our society, but I think they're afraid of the tech falling into the wrong hands."

"Same old game," Megan whispered. "New planet, new players, same game."

"So what's Tarzan's story?" Benjamin asked, he turned to the jungle man and raised an eyebrow.

"Tarzan…?" The man asked he gazed at Benjamin a few moments before shaking his head. "No… Daisuke." Daisuke stood up, testing his legs for the first time since he collapsed. "Last of the Amazon." His voice was rough and strained as if his throat was lined with loose gravel.

"Amazon," Rune whispered, tasting the sound his mouth. He flashed a sideways grin.

"The Bellator… killed us all." Daisuke broke into a coughing fit, it was clear he wasn't used to talking, especially long soliloquies.

Leo frowned, the Bellator was the village Rune had been collected from.

Rune stood up, looking around for a few moments. He looked at Leo, then at his partners. They stared back, looking at like he was an alien from another world, which he technically was after all.

A Shaman and an Amazon. Suddenly the Rangers didn't seem so strange. The entire planet was full of strange.

Daisuke stood next to Rune. He pressed his hand against Rune's shoulder. The two seemed strong together like there was a connection they possessed. "Those beasts." Daisuke spat in his gravel voice. "They are an ancient evil, enemy of the Amazon." He held his hand over his chest. "Amazon spirits guide me to the core, we must destroy the core. Then my ancestors can sleep."

"Don't keep them waiting then, we've got a job to do," Rune said coldly. Daisuke led the way as they moved deeper into the jungle dusk.

More and more bodies were stuck to the trees. A majority of them were humans, most were adult males clad in uniforms, there were some women among them, and even a few children. Leo had a hard time watching them. It was horrible. They all had lives, they had futures too. Their lives were stolen by a mass of mutant spiders.

Leo began to notice the eyes that slowly watched them. They were cold eyes of the Spiders, they watched every movement the Rangers made. He wondered why they didn't attack. Maybe they were afraid now that Daisuke was with them, or maybe they were planning something…

Benjamin suddenly flew forward, his legs folding from under him as his head crashed into the dirt. Megan held in her grin, but her eyes glimmered. "Slick." She said in a humored voice.

Benjamin's faced flushed red. "It's not my fault, something tripped me!"

Rune bent down to the ground under Benjamin's feet. Frowning, he brushed off a layer of black jungle dirt to reveal a golden square that poked from the earth.

"See!" Benjamin exclaimed, "I _did_ trip."

"Good for you." Megan said, then turned to Leo, "What do you think this is?"

Rune lifted it in the air. It was a strange square cast in glimmering gold. Unreadable symbols were etched into the sides of it. It was telling a story they couldn't hear.

Daisuke grabbed the cube and examined it very carefully. He seemed genuinely scared like he was seeing a phantasm staring at him. "This is written in Amazon's language."

"What does it say?" Leo asked.

Daisuke's face grew very pale. His words shook in his quivering mouth. "God's Graveyard…"

The Rangers suddenly noticed something incredibly eerie. Hidden among the vines and webbing there were bits of clay and stone. Huts and small temples littered the jungle ground. Deep in the heart of the jungle was a long abandoned village.

They moved through the dead lands. The path was no longer a clearing, but instead ancient gravel. Skeletons old as time littered the ground, some were wrapped in vines, others were stuck to the web. Everything was almost completely intact.

Leo had to light a torch to gain any sort of light within this impossible place. The stalking Spiders were getting closer, and Leo was beginning to suspect this was a planned ambush.

If the Spiders attacked the five of them would be as good as dead. This was the heart of their nest, the Rangers had managed to handle a few pockets of the Spiders, but there wasn't any way they could fight off the entire population, even with Daisuke. They were at the Spider's mercy now.

Rune avoided stepping on a mass of skeletons. They littered the ground like forgotten toys. It was impossible to say how many pearl white humans lay on the dirty ground. Spears and shields sat next to them. It was like an entire army had fallen at once. Leo frowned, it probably had.

The five of them stood under the shadow of a temple. It looked similar to something seen in Inca history. It was a tall pyramid created in strange square segments. The stone was sandy and impossibly old.

"God's Graveyard…" Daisuke mumbled again.

"What does that even mean?" Benjamin asked, "If you're going to go all cryptic on us at least explain what you're saying."

"Amazon legend speaks of the land where God fell to earth. That is where the Amazon Tribe was born. They lived here until evil spirits killed them all."

"It sure looks that way…" Leo said softly.

They stepped up the stone stairs. The only sound that echoed around them was the clank of their boots against the ground.

The entrance the temple was wide and square. Giant globs of webbing hung from the walls. It was like a parody of a banner, welcoming the Ranger Crew.

The inside of the temple was stuffy and hot. Leo found himself sweating heavily, it was bad, even for the jungle planet. The walls were littered with more symbols. Though some were occupied by pictures. They revealed a comet that crashed into the earth. It was represented by a glowing yellow star that possessed one giant eye.

Leo couldn't help but think of Kendrix, a good friend of his who had traveled on Terra Venture with him. She would have loved it here. Though considering the circumstances he was glad she hadn't tagged along.

The temple hall ended with a dead end. The Rangers met a stone wall, it glared at them menacingly. It carried no artwork, no hieroglyphics, it was bare and intimidating.

"Of course." Benjamin said in a defeated voice, "God's Graveyard is empty…"

Rune moved silently. He stood next to the wall, sweat glazed his face. His eyes glimmered with fear. His shaking hand pressed into the wall, suddenly the temple began to shake.

Leo panicked, he assumed the worst. He prepared himself, expecting the ground to give way, or the ceiling to give in. Instead, the stone wall slid away, to reveal a stranger sight. Glimmering metal.

Rune stepped inside, Daisuke followed. It was surreal, the two didn't seem to have a second thought about what they were doing. It all seemed natural to them. The two other Rangers followed, and so did Leo.

Leo was surprised as the metal room descended downward. He was completely flabbergasted. It was an elevator. How did an ancient civilization install an elevator?

"This is getting even crazier." Benjamin said, "This is some ancient alien stuff!"

Leo nodded, for once he agreed with the Lion Ranger.

The elevator abruptly stopped. Leo took a deep breath, not knowing what to expect. The door slid open to reveal a flood of light.


	3. Bad Blood

The room was wide, probably the entirety of the temple and then some. The walls were the same metal texture, even having some control panels and blinking lights. About twenty Spiders stood waiting. Their mouths watered with saliva and poison, but they remained still.

"Welcome, honored guests!" A human voice called out.

Leo was shocked, that was the farthest from what he expected. Casually a man moved between the ranks of Spiders. His clothes were tattered rags, and his skin was a dark shade of gray, almost as if he was wearing a strange leather mask. His hair was short and messy, it appeared to have the same texture as a new paintbrush. His eyes were filled with glee, their ice blue texture seemed to radiate.

"Welcome to my Nest! We don't get visitors often.."

"What do you need us for?" Leo asked. He could feel himself panic. He could feel the Spider's hungry eyes watching him.

The man frowned at Leo. "Why don't you shut your mouth. This doesn't concern you." The sight of Leo seemed to disgust the man. He turned to Rune and Daisuke, who were both ahead of the others.

"I have been waiting years for you to arrive!" The man took a step towards the duo. Daisuke took a step back, but Rune stood his ground. The man glanced at Daisuke, his gray mouth twitched.

"These are your soldiers," Rune said flatly. It wasn't a question. Rune seemed to be above questions.

"Why of course," The man beamed, "Are you impressed?"

Rune remained silent.

"Why do you play with demons?" Daisuke asked. He didn't seem to worry about the Spiders, but he flinched every time the man glanced in his direction.

"They have chosen me…" The man said with an insane gleam in his pale eyes. "These monsters are remnants of a great battle, one that was raged three thousand years ago. They've been waiting here since then, waiting for their new master to arrive. I'm that master! I am the next master of destruction." He yelled, swinging his arms wildly. "They call my name, my _new_ name! Zoltar! They scream it with all their might. Zoltar, King of Destruction! "

"Why do you need us?" Daisuke asked.

The man who named himself Zoltar smiled at Daisuke. "You are not the last Amazon, we are. Dearest child. Fate had brought us together again."

Daisuke froze, his mouth wide open. He took a few steps away, unable to process what had just been said.

"Wow," Benjamin mumbled, "First we find out Rune is a Jungle Jedi, now we get another Star Wars reference."

Leo watched as the two Amazon stared at one another. They certainly looked alike. They carried the same defined jaw, the same sturdy build, and the same ice blue eyes.

"It was meant to be us. It always was. The last of the Amazon will rule this world. Join me, in the name of Zoltar." Zoltar held out his leathery hand. His eyes gleamed with genuine need. Maybe he truly did love his son.

"You are no Amazon," Daisuke said softly. "Amazon do not play with demons." He gripped his hands tightly together. "You have no honor father."

The man frowned. "I was afraid you'd say that." Zoltar's body began to bubble and boil, steam poured from his figure as he transformed into a monster. His new body was similar to Daisuke's monster form, only his scales were a deep crimson color, and he was at least a head taller. His green eyes glared at Daisuke. "Kill them." He said softly.

He jumped at Daisuke as the Spiders began their assault.

"A-MA-ZON!" Daisuke called out as he turned into his Beast form.

"Cyber Beast, Power Unleashed!"

The Lion Ranger fired his Bazooka into a mob of charging Spiders, as the Dolphin Ranger aided with her bow.

Leo used his rifle, though it wasn't very good. It still managed to delay the monsters from gaining too much distance.

Daisuke and Zoltar circled one another, Daisuke lunged, but Zoltar moved to fast and swing his boot into Daisuke's head. He picked up the reptilian hero and prepared to snap his neck, but the Red Falcon slashed his back with his saber.

Zoltar dropped Daisuke and turned to the Red Ranger. "I should have killed you long ago." He swung his claws into Red Falcon, sending sparks flying from his body.

"You don't have the guts, you coward." Red Falcon spat. "Running when they needed you the most, even leaving your child."

"I watched as the Bellator burned our village to the ground. Flames consumed everything. I did the only thing I could. I ran."

"A true warrior fights to the death," Daisuke said and lunged at Zoltar. He dug his giant maw into his father's shoulder. Blood poured into the reptile's mouth as he assaulted his fellow Amazon.

"Don't listen to that honor crap. A true warrior survives!" Zoltar grabbed Daisuke and threw him to the ground. "I was a beaten man. No family, not future. Everything was lost in the inferno. I found this temple, the God's Graveyard, and I awoke what laid beneath" His body surged with power. "I was uploaded with ancient knowledge, the legacy of Ryukin, the need for destruction. These warriors are my tools, and I will leave the galaxy barren, just as God intended. Life is a sin, and I will correct the infidels."

Red Falcon fired a few shots into Zoltar. His body sparked and blood poured down his chest, yet he continued to fight.

Daisuke leaped at Zoltar, his claws outward. He dug into the villain's chest, ripping scaly flesh in handfuls. Zoltar's body began to glow with crimson energy. The lights within the chamber began to flicker.

More Spiders flooded in, Leo watched with horror. Every Spider in the nest was coming. Worse than that it seemed like Zoltar was somehow destabilizing the enter room. Either the Spiders would kill them or they would all explode.

Red Falcon threw his blade at Zoltar. The villain grabbed the blade, his giant maw formed a horrifying grin.

"I am of the Bellator. We killed your kind once, allow me to finish the job." Red Falcon yelled.

Zoltar laughed, "If only it were that simple." Zoltar overpowered the Ranger and threw his blade, it skidded helplessly across the ground. "You are not from Bellator, child." Daisuke did a jump kick at Zoltar, but the Amazon grabbed him and threw him back. "Still yourself child! Allow me to talk to your brother!"

Daisuke froze, "Brother…?"

Zoltar grinned, "That's right, there aren't two Amazon left. There are three!"

Leo nodded with a level of insight. Rune was an orphaned slave. More then that he was offered the title Shaman, which is only given to disposables. Him being from a conquered village wasn't a stretch at all.

Zoltar took advantage of Red Falcon's shock. He grabbed the hero by and the neck and slammed his fist into the hero's chest. Sparks flew from his armor as Red cried out in pain. Forms cracked in his armor, they spread like horrifying veins, spraying sparks through every opening. With a flash of red light, Rune's armor collapsed. Zoltar grinned. He prepared to deliver the final blow.

Daisuke screamed a primeval wail and threw himself at Zoltar. His red eyes gleamed brightly, his bloody maw hung wide open. He hit Zoltar hard, knocking the two of them to the ground. Daisuke swung his arms, clawing, biting, doing everything he could do.

A hollow laugh escaped Zoltar's mouth. He was missing chunks from his shoulders, and his chest was giant mess of gore. He didn't seem upset by it. "You can't destroy Zoltar. I am the very embodiment of death!"

Daisuke was thrown into the air. He flew several feet upward in an arch. Gravity caught up to the hero and slammed him into the metal ground, hard. His body crunched horribly when he hit, Rune flinched as his brother lay like a bag of flour.

Rune summoned a small blade from his Morpher. He pointed it forward as Zoltar approached slowly.

"It's over." Zoltar said, "Your brother is soon to be dead, and you're powerless. Give up and allow me to make this quick."

Rune stood his ground, his pale eyes were powerful and fierce. He would fight to his last breath no matter what. He smiled to himself, the feeling in his gut. The fire that burned in his chest, it was his Amazon blood. He was a true warrior, an Amazon.

Zoltar swung down, but Rune dodged the swung. He ran his blade across Zoltar's midsection, sending sparks and gore from the monster. The lights flickered as Zoltar lunged when they returned Rune was a few steps away.

"I don't see the point in struggling against me, you can't even summon your true Amazon form. You're nothing but a weak Shaman, a disposable tool, you might as well die before you lose importance."

Rune stood his ground. He looked Zoltar directly in the eyes. The ceiling above them began to crack, causing tiny rocks to rain against the ground. Rune shook, his body trembling like a leaf in the breeze. His face was covered in a glaze of sweat and his eyes held tears.

"Until my last breath, I refuse to give into evil," Rune said plainly.

"Allow me to relieve you of that burden," Zoltar said.

Rune charged forward, holding his blade firmly in his grip as he used the last of strength. He hollered out, using his best war cry. He could feel the spirits of his ancestors watching him. It was time to end the struggle that began three thousand years ago, it was time to put the demons to rest.

Zoltar was prepared. He watched Rune, waiting for the perfect time to strike him down for good. Rune's blade was only a foot away from the villain. It was then that Zoltar finally noticed the noise behind him. A bloodied Daisuke armed with Rune's fallen Falcon Saber.

The two struck at once. Slashing the villain with the power of the two Amazons. Zoltar was in shock, sparks raced across his body. He looked to his two sons as their blades dripped his blood.

"Heed my warning, my dearest children." Zoltar gasped. His body was covered in small explosions and dancing sparks. "There are others like me, those that wish to end existence. You may have stopped me, but you can't stop them." His body fell the ground, enveloped in flames. "Nobody can…"

Zoltar grew still. The King of Destruction was destroyed by two of his creations. The last three Amazon changed the number to two.

Leo and the two Rangers were struggling to fend off the Spiders. Close to a thousand of them all massed in the steel structure.

"Guys!" Rune called. The lights flickered and red electricity ran across the walls. "We better go!"

The five of them raced for the elevator. Yellow Lion fought hard with his Bazooka, creating a path for them to race across. A stray Spider got to close, and Daisuke quickly ripped it's head clean off.

The Spiders seemed more worried about escape than anything else. They tried to tread the slick walls, but the energy it possessed shocked their bodies and sent them tumbling down. Daisuke hollered out in pain as his skin started to bubble.

"Now is _not_ the time for this!" Megan said under her breath.

Rune limped with his brother as chunks of metal and rock crashed around them. A boulder the size of a small truck fell a few feet from them, it crushed a Spider, leaving a pool of green blood.

The Rangers reached the elevator and Rune got it started again. He wondered why the strange panel worked with him. He figured it had to with his Amazon blood. The five of them ushered into the elevator. The ride was rocky, the entire thing shook and even completely stopped at one point. In the end, they made it. They darted out of the temple as fast as they could. Huffing and panting as their lungs burned like fire.

As soon as their feet hit the ancient gravel the temple began to shake violently. The Rangers watched in awe. It seemed like the entire structure was alive. It pulsed with energy as it the stone began to crumble. The fire erupted from the windows as the temple began to shake more violently. With one last shake, the entire structure fell flat.

Three thousand years ago a space ship crashed on the jungle planet. The humans of the world began to worship it, this perpetuated until a temple was constructed to protect it. Some time later a small taste of the evil awoke, it killed the village and forced the people to flee. The temple collected dust for thousands of years. Then a coward who claimed to be warrior stumbled upon the place while fleeing. He awoke the evil and was uploaded with the power of the ship's original creator. In the end the temple found its destruction as the last of its creators fought inside.

Rune and Daisuke stood together. They watched as the dust began to settle. Their past was gone, completely erased from the earth. They stood among the bones of their ancestors. It must have been hard for Rune, Leo figured, these countless bodies had gained a new context to the Red Hero. They weren't nameless soldiers, they were his family.

Rune placed his arm over the Daisuke. It was weirdly moving, the two of them had met just a few hours ago yet they looked as if they'd spent the last decade together.

Rune turned back to Leo, his pale eyes seemed sharper, more mature. "We better get out of here. The ghosts need to rest."

 **A/N: If you're wondering why there is a red Amazon when I said I wasn't including Amazons suit in this,allow me to explain. "Zoltar" is based on the figuart Pre-Amazon. Anyway, tune in for epilogue.**


	4. Epilogue

With their mission complete the Rangers went back to their daily lives. Rune brought Daisuke to his wooden home. Daisuke hadn't lived in civilization for most of his life, so it would definitely be a rough adjustment.

Benjamin stood alone. The night air whipped his wavy hair and sweat covered his face. Even at night the air was thick and hot, it seemed even heavier tonight, leaving the Lion Ranger completely exhausted.

Benjamin's feet brushed against the ground. He felt like he was a million pounds, everything seemed to hold an unbearable weight. He kept his head down, and the wildflowers outstretched.

The Yellow Rangers approached the graveyard. It hung like a sore on the earth, pale gray stones stood like vile boils. He passed countless graves. How had so many people died in four short years?

The grave Benjamin stood at didn't seem any different from the rest. It was a crude rock, with a plain name and a date. **Janet Lee**. Seeing the name brought a horrifying feeling in his stomach.

He remembered the way she used to smile. Her lips curled in such an attractive manner, it would make him feel butterflies in his gut. He loved her, his heart burned with a such a ferocity. She was the first person he'd ever opened up to emotionally. He remembered their first kiss, the softness of her lips. She could melt any man's heart.

They had run away together, joined Terra Venture so they could live their lives on the final frontier. It had been perfect, the kind of setup romance novelist drooled about. Two star-struck lovers going on a grand space adventure. Even when food aboard the colony had begun to get short, the two didn't panic. They had each other, and that was enough.

Everything had been fine until they landed. After the chaotic shuffle and poor attempts at adjusting people to their new home, a disease broke out. It claimed the Earthlings like wildfire, burning through their bodies and leaving an empty husk.

The plague had caught Janet. It dulled her eyes, weakened her body, she couldn't even leave her bed. Benjamin stayed with her, cleaned her bedpan, kissed her face. He prayed she'd get better, and when she been thrown over the edge he had prayed the disease would catch him as well. He didn't want to live alone on the strange planet.

After she passed Benjamin went down hill. He stopped eating, stopped working, stopped cared. He was quickly wasting away. Depression is an equally evil disease, only it hurt much more. It attacked his insides, gnawing on him like a rabid dog.

On his bleakest day, he had tried to kill himself. A handful of pills rested inside his stomach, leaving him with a pounding headache and nausea that would have given the most hardened alcoholic a run for his money.

He'd been found before he could slip away. He was then dragged to a hospital and given a nice stomach pumping.

During his hospital stay, he watched a few soldiers doing drills outside. It was during this moment he found his true calling. After being he released he immediately signed up. If he couldn't kill himself manually he'd do it combat, at least then he'd be doing something with his life.

Benjamin looked down at his wrist. A lot changed since then. He'd gained friends, gained a new purpose. He'd almost managed to move on from his past. Still, he missed Janet every single day.

He didn't say anything. There wasn't much to say. Benjamin placed the flowers over his grave. He smiled weakly and picked himself up. He had lives to save.

* * *

Megan stood in the dark room. Everything seemed vague and heavy, she held her breath, waiting for him to appear. The door slowly opened, revealing a flood of white light. The man had gray hair, and face that seemed as old as time itself. He sat at the desk next to her, and she followed.

"You did well." The man said in a pleased tone.

Megan forced a slight grin, "Thank you, sir."

The man opened a folder and examined the contents. "Your report says that Rune reacted to the Cyber Beast powers exceptionally well. Would you consider him an asset or a threat?"

Megan took a few moments to respond, she tried to appear as though she was taking great consideration into her answer. "An asset, definitely an asset. I feel as though he could easily be molded into a tool we can utilize to our advantage." She was lying, and it felt weird. She didn't lie, that was why they chose her for this mission.

The man kept his emotions locked away, but Megan saw a glimmer in his eyes. "I see. What about that Amazon tribe, are they really gone?"

"Yes. The last Amazon was killed in the temple collapse."

"Very good." The man said, "We believe that there are more Beastmen hiding in the jungle, one less to worry about." _More Beastmen?_ The idea was terrifying, primarily because she was going to be the one to clean them up if they became a big problem. The man shut his folder and smiled at Megan. "That is all I needed to know." He stood up, shook her hand and said, "You're dismissed."

* * *

Leo could feel the night air whip across his face. The moon shined its silver light down on the clearing deep in the jungle. He kept his gazed fixed on the strange rock. Five swords poked out of the top, only the hilts were visible.

Leo had just recently received a distress signal from Andros. The Machine Empire Remnants were up to no good and he needed a team to stop them. Leo didn't like the idea of being a Ranger again, but he definitely preferred it better than what he had just managed to pull himself through.

He felt guilty leaving his home to run off on some mission, but he knew that he could trust the new protectors. They would keep the planet safe in his absence. He took a deep sigh as he gripped the hilt of one of the swords. The power began to flow through him as the sword slide from the rock. Leo's Red Galaxy Ranger armor flashed around his form.

"It's time to play Ranger one more time." He mumbled to himself. It was a lie, he could feel it in his gut, but saying it helped.


End file.
